Count Red Sox president and CEO Larry Lucchino among those not shocked about the Yankees opening their wallet this offseason.

“It’s like ‘Back to the Future,’ is my sense,” Lucchino said, according to ESPN Boston. “I’ve seen this movie before.”

This version includes the addition of Masahiro Tanaka, Carlos Beltran and Brian McCann, as well as the signing of Jacoby Ellsbury away from the Red Sox. It was all part of a spending spree that included more than $500 million worth of contracts, blowing away what their reaction to the previous time they missed the playoffs, when, in 2008, they brought in CC Sabathia, Mark Teixeira and A.J. Burnett.

“Different players,” Lucchino said. “I understand that. You can’t just go into the grocery store and buy exactly what you need to win. A lot of other things go into it as well: Luck, injuries, and all of that. Suffice to say, we won’t have any problem rekindling the rivalry with the Yankees.”

And Lucchino said he didn’t mind it and was looking forward to matching up in the AL East.

“Anything that can be done that increases the intensity of the rivalry, as this certainly does, I think is positive,” Lucchino said. “As long as it doesn’t go so far as to give them the advantage.”

The Yankees spent the better part of last year insisting they were going to try to keep their 2014 payroll under $189 million to avoid the luxury tax, but even with the loss of Robinson Cano, Andy Pettitte, Mariano Rivera and the suspended Alex Rodriguez, that notion is gone.

“They’re a different flavor of ice cream than anyone else in baseball,” Lucchino said. “The Dodgers are now using that same game plan, I suppose, certainly more so than anyone else in baseball.”

Were you surprised at the Yankees' spending?

As a Yankee fan I respect the Red Sox organization because I feel they have good scouts and they always find really gritty players that fit in well with their team. I also feel that the Steinbrenners should have fired their current scouts without question because they are abysmal and slapping them on the wrist is just not going to cut it..

With that said Red Sox fans don't understand that a lot of free agents don't want to come to New York due to the pressure which is why the Yankees so often have to pay more for free agents. I have never heard of a player having a no-trade clause to Boston but many times hear a player having a no-trade clause to New York. New York brings added pressure to win and, at least used to (with George), make you earn your money for the contract signed. This is why, in my opinion, Boston can sign guys for much better deals.

The Yankees needed to sign these free agents in the offseason to stay in Contention and win. Did they take a lot of risks? Absolutely, but we had to.

Lucchino is just whistling in the graveyard...He knows that the Yanks are back..That loser Red Sox front office and its owner and those big mouth fans know that they're just temporarily holding the W.S trophy..The Yankees are in there head...Now they're thinking "Oh shiat,I think we've awakened a sleeping giant",the same thing the Japanese said when they bombed Pearl Harbor...Red Sox Nation,enjoy that trophy cause its not gonna be with you after this year...Hey,it may not be the Yankees that win the whole thing but I know its not gonna be those freakin lucky bum looking Red Sox..Yankees gonna take the East,Red Sox may not even make the playoffs..Yankees are gonna make sure of that..Freaking losers ,all of a sudden they win 3 times in 10 years and that's a dynasty to them...Yankees won 4 times in 5 years in the late 90's top that muthafreakers..you know what Im tryin to say ;)

LMAO at all the whining going on in NY. This so much reminds me of last century where Red Sox fans would show up at every article whining like this.

NY fans can't handle the fact that last century is over and this Century baseball belongs to the Boston Red Sox, SF Giants and eventually the Dodgers,.

NY is just a cesspool now and the new destination of choice will now be LA. Who wants to play in the cold north east and lose when they can play in Cali where they don't have to live up to their contracts. Ask Carl Crawford.

So keep writing articles like this and whining because the rest of baseball thanks you very much for all the luxery tax money you are giving every team so they can be competitive while your team had to go outside the Country for players.

To all the bitter Mets fans taking shots at Jeter. He will be in the Hall of Fame on the first ballot. Mike Piazza has a good chance of never making it. To Larry Lucchino the Dodgers had more to do with the Sox winning than he did. To Jonny Gomes any teammate of David Ortiz should refrain from commenting about PEDs unless you lead off the discussion with what Ortiz has been doing.

Larry Lucchino is Right you can't buy a Championship. That is why the Yankees signed all these free agents, so they could have a good team for the chance to play & win a championship. Really it's not like the Yankees can go to the MLB office & ask to purchase the world series trophy. Free agency or home grown players doesn't really matter you can only win or lose on the field. How many times has a team went out & spent tons of money on free agents and not win the world series and how many time has a team with a average or low team salary win the world series. There is no guarantees in any baseball season look at this pass season who ever thought that Red Sox where go to win the World Series SHOE! Most predictions had them 3rd or 4th place in eastern division before the season even started last year. At one time it was only the Yankees with large payroll that is not the case anymore. Larry Lucchino you should just enjoy your special year you had last season and keep your comment to your self considering your Red Sox are one of 5 top team with the largest payroll.

Larry Lucchino knows that championships are not bought. As recently as 2012 the red sox spent 325 million on a few players and ended up in last place. He knows that there are many other factors to the winning formula. However, the sniffling red sox fans who check in on the post comments, continue to cry about money and home-grown players on their championship teams. I should remind them that their first championship team in many years, the 2004 team, far outspent the other teams they played besides the Yankees and that team had only one starting player from the red sox organization. In contrast, in spite of the red sox crybabies misinformation about Yankee championship teams, the Yankee championship teams of 1996-2000 had at least 5 players from their organization---maybe this will help the short-memory snifflers with some baseball history, including the accuracy of their own red sox history!

You know, the Red Sox at least used to have some class. Now they all sound like a bunch of whiney, finger-pointy, hypocrytic jerks. You can't improve a team without good players. How many home-grown players are on the Red Sox? And if we were really trying to "buy" a pennant, we would have kept Cano. Whatever. I work with alot of Boston fans and they don't complain half as much as the players.

@John Which ones? The Yankees had much higher payrolls in EVERY year than the Red Sox. Lucchino is just saying that even with all the Yankees' monry, they aren't guaranteed a win. History proves that to be the case.

You go Cortes. But please, clarify one thing for me. Did I miss something....I mean, the WS ring is what teams play for....ya know the saying...the ring is the only thing. So why is it the SUX replaced the ring with the World Series SHOE?? OMG, I can't stop laughing.

Been a Yankee fan since 1939. Love Jeter as a player, but as a captain he he is terrible. IMHO he has never done anything that does not benefit Derek Jeter. He is supposed to be a team first guy, but I have never seen him do anything to support that view.

@PlayboyBuddy Rose Wait just a minute Mr. Misinformed. The Sox payroll was under the $178MM luxury tax threshhold in 2013. The Yankees were at $235MM (for non-math people that's 57MM LESS THAN the Yankees). The financial field definitely is not level but the Sox are still champions 3 times in 9 years. We all like to take pride in our teams...I get it...But the way many talk is a slightly grown-up version of "My dad can beat-up your Dad". Just a bit juvenile. Teams with less money have to be smarter, draft better, nurture talent better to have a chance when there is 50-100MM difference in payroll ability. And some teams have proven that they are just that.. The Yankees' ONLY way to compete is with a large excess of money. Poor drafting, no farm system ehh has left them otherwise dry.

@BK Drothe year 2000 was the last year of the 20th century. But you sound like the typical yahoo Yankee fan that gets us hated across the country.

If YOU were a true Yankees fan you would realize we are right back to the late 80's. The team just committed half a billion dollars to payroll and no one is saying we are a lock to make the playoffs. That speaks volumes on where this team is.

It is time to face reality. We need to reload the farm system and spend the money on healthy and productive players. We should have retained Cano and not thrown a ton of money at risky or old players like Elsbury and Beltran.

@Yankees Pride@Ramon Gonzalez- CortesYou're an idiot that knows nothing. WTF are you talking about? They didn't replace anything. The shoe company made those shoe's for the team it had NOTHING to do with the owner.

@2004YANKS-BestCHOKEever@BK Dro Hey you fu_____ prick...Why are you always on here commenting on the Yankee,worry about them losers up in Beantown...You fu_____ frustrated Met fan..Whether you like the Mets or the Red Sox,both have a loser history

@BK Dro@Derek Jeter Hey, guy, you can still cling on to the Yankees having won more, all-time than Boston, by a long shot, even. Boston has won thrice in the past ten years, though, so that loser paradigm doesn't work, anymore.

@Derek Jeter@BK Dro Come on man,your either a phony Yankee fan or your the most pessimistic fan I know,and I thought I was pessimistic..Ive been following the Yankees since 1980..when Rick Cerone was the catcher and Bob Watson was at first base so don't give me that "if I was a true Yankee fan."